System and method for managing a supply of breast milk

ABSTRACT

A system is disclosed for managing a supply of breast milk. In one form the system includes a codified container for receiving expressed breast milk. A computing device receives an image of the expressed milk in the codified container. The codification allows for software to recognize the size and type of the container, as well as scale and orientation, to translate the image into an accurate volume. The milk data is then processed and analyzed to produce feedback regarding the pumping session, such as logs, charts, or reminders. In other embodiments, nipple positioning may be analyzed as well.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/874,710, filed Oct. 5, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 14/208,054, filed Mar. 13, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No.9,199,018, which is a non-provisional of U.S. Application Ser. No.61/780,029 filed on Mar. 13, 2013, the contents of which are fullyincorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This application relates to a system and method for monitoring,organizing, recording, and troubleshooting the collection and/ordispensing of breast milk.

BACKGROUND

Human breast milk collection, when not fed directly to an infant, isgenerally expressed into a collection container, such as a bottle orbag. The expression and collection of the breast milk is usuallyaccomplished with the aid of a breastpump. Breast milk is important tothe nutritional needs of an infant and requires significant effort onthe part of the mother to collect, store, protect, and ultimately feedthe milk to the infant.

Mothers have a desire to monitor their milk production to understand howthey are performing. Monitoring milk production helps mothers gauge howmuch milk they have, how effectively they are collecting and expressingmilk, and may provide clinical data to a physician for troubleshooting.This type of information is most often manually recorded in a pumpinglog, which may be in the form of a journal or electronic software inwhich a mother may enter information regarding her pumping session,including how much milk was collected, the date/time of the collection,which breast(s) the milk was collected from, etc. A manual pumping logis a tedious process as it requires the mother to keep track of herpumping session and write down information. To effectively analyze herperformance from the log, the mother would need to enter this data intoa computer to evaluate trends and anomalies.

It is desirable, therefore, to provide a system to the mother that caneasily and accurately capture and manage milk collection information,that minimizes the effort involved, and that works seamlessly with herlifestyle. With the advances in portable computing power, asdemonstrated in the increasing capabilities of smart phones, data can becollected and utilized in situ. A milk collection device that enablesautomatic data collection through interaction with a computer, such as asmart phone, would be beneficial to mothers.

SUMMARY

A system and method for managing a supply of breast milk is provided.The system includes a codified container for receiving expressed breastmilk and a computing device for receiving an image of the expressed milkin the codified container. The codification allows for software torecognize the size and type of the container, as well as to scale andorient, to translate the image into an accurate volume. The milk data isthen processed and analyzed to produce feedback regarding the pumpingsession, such as logs, charts, or reminders.

In one embodiment, a method for managing a supply of breast milk of amother is disclosed. The method includes receiving, via a computingdevice, at least one image of a container for receiving expressed breastmilk, the container including a codification element associatedtherewith, recognizing the codification element using the computingdevice, analyzing the codification element using the computing device,and producing feedback regarding the supply of expressed breast milkbased on the analysis.

In yet another embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable medium isdisclosed. The computer readable medium has stored thereon instructionsexecutable by a computing device to cause the computing device toperform functions comprising recognizing a codification elementassociated with a container of expressed breast milk, obtaininginformation regarding the codification element, analyzing thecodification element, and providing information regarding the supply ofexpressed breast milk based on the analysis.

In yet another embodiment, a container for collecting expressed breastmilk from a mother is disclosed. The container includes at least onecodification element. The codification element is configured to beanalyzed by a computing device to provide analysis and feedbackregarding the mother's breast milk supply expressed breast milk withinthe container.

In yet another embodiment, a method for managing the fit of a mother'snipple within a breastshield is disclosed. The method includesreceiving, via a computing device, at least one image of a breastpumpkit or portion thereof for receiving expressed breast milk, thebreastpump kit including a codification element associated therewith,recognizing the codification element using the computing device,analyzing the codification element using the computing device, andproducing feedback regarding the fit of the mother's nipple based on theanalysis.

In yet another embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable medium isdisclosed. The computer readable medium has stored thereon instructionsexecutable by a computing device to cause the computing device toperform functions comprising recognizing a codification elementassociated with a breatpumping kit, obtaining information regarding thecodification element, analyzing the codification element, and providinginformation regarding the fit of the mother's nipple within abreastshield based on the analysis.

In yet another embodiment, a collection system for collecting expressedbreast milk from a mother is provided. The collection system includes abreastpumping kit including a breast shield, a valve, a connector piece,a collection container, and a breastpump, and at least one codificationelement. The at least one codification element is configured to beanalyzed by a computing device to provide analysis and feedbackregarding the fit of the mother's nipple within the breast shield.

These and other features and advantages of the present application willbe further understood and appreciated when considered in relation to thefollowing detailed description, taken in conjunction with the drawings,in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example system according to anembodiment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an example of a codified container foruse with the system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an example breastpump kit having acodified container for use with the system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an example method of managing a supply ofbreast milk according to an embodiment; and

FIG. 5 is a simplified block diagram of an example computing device inwhich an embodiment may be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The system of the present application uses a milk collection device thatenables breastpumping data collection through interaction with acomputing device. The computing device may be a smart phone, a tablet,digital camera, or any other computing device, for example. Manycomputing devices include a camera capable of taking both pictures andvideos. The camera, in combination with a custom software application,may be configured to recognize a codified collection container todetermine milk volumes. In one example, the mother pumps breast milkinto a codified collection container. The mother then uses her computingdevice to scan or capture an image of the collection containercontaining the pumped breast milk. In another embodiment, a video (orseries of images) of the collection container may be taken. Thecollection container codification allows for software to recognize thesize and/or type of container, as well as the scale and orientation, inorder to appropriately translate the visual image(s) into an accuratevolume through a combination of milk level and container typeinformation.

The computing device, using an appropriate software application (“app”),then pulls relevant data from the image or scan to determine milk volumecollected, and uses the data to develop a pumping log, performancecharts, and/or reminders. The video may be used for real-timeperformance feedback and/or troubleshooting.

The present system is not only useful to monitor and analyze milkcollection, but may also be applied for milk dispensation. Tying themilk data to an inventory management system allows the mother and othervested parties, such as caregivers or healthcare workers, to see herentire supply inventory and status. The system may also detect or createserialization of the collection container if desired, which would enabletime-based inventory management such as FIFO (first in, first out) orLIFO (last in, first out). In healthcare settings, serialization is alsocommonly utilized to manage patient safety such that an infant can beguaranteed to receive his/her mother's own milk.

In addition, the system may be used with real-time performance feedbackthrough video monitoring of the collection, which may yield additionalinformation such as milk ejections and pumping duration, for example.Other example feedback may include flow rate, detection of vacuumsettings or changes and cycles through the behavior of the nipple,breast or kit, color shifts in the milk, nipple positioning, etc.

In another embodiment, the system may communicate with or be includedwithin a breastpump. The system may also inform the breastpump of thefeedback as part of a closed loop control system, and the breastpump maymake adjustments based on the feedback received.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example system according to anembodiment. This type of system arrangement is simply illustrative, andnot intended to be limiting. Referring to FIG. 1, breast milk 102 isexpressed into a container 100 by means of a breastpump, for example.Although the container 100 is shown as a bottle, it should be understoodthat any suitable container for holding or storing breast milk may beused, such as a bag, for example. The container 100 may include volumemarkings 104. In one embodiment, the container 100 may further include acodification element 106. Examples of codification elements for thecontainer 100 may include a bar code, a symbol for software containerrecognition, or any other suitable codification element. The size of thecodification element 106 itself may be constrained to provide areference for the milk level measurement, in the same way that a pennyor ruler next to an object in a photograph relates a sense of scale. Inother embodiments, the codification element is located within a scannedor captured image of the expressed breast milk, but not on thecontainer. Thus, other items of the collection system within the frameof the image could also contain codification elements to provide imageinterpretation information for the computing device. Software, such asan application, may process and analyze the data ascribed by thecodification element 106 to provide information or feedback 108, such asa pumping log, performance charts, reminders, etc., regarding themother's breast milk supply.

Other variations of the codification element 106 may include a readingof the volume markings 104 themselves, or the use of a specializedprogram to analyze one or more features of the container, such as shape,form, or markings of the container to develop a sense of scale. Theseforms of codification are more discrete, and therefore may provide amore aesthetically pleasing design, while retaining the ability toconvey scale and milk level information to the software application.Additional information may be available through the codification element106, such as a serial number or other manufacturer or marketing data.The codification and milk level data may also be inherently invisible tothe human eye, yet detectable through an image with an appropriatedetector. For example, thermal signatures, infrared, or ultravioletcould be utilized to detect the codification element 106. The dataprovided by the codification element(s) of the container may provideidentification, scaling, and orientation references (i.e. parameters),or may contain algorithms for the computing device to computationallyassess the image. In this sense, the codification element becomes a partof the software and enables execution of the computing device'sapplication.

In another embodiment, multiple codification elements 106 can be presenton the container 100. For example, both a separate serial number and ascale element may be utilized. Other codification elements may aid theapplication in determining the viewing angle for more accurate readings.For example, a circular element will appear more elliptical the more theviewing angle changes from normal to the surface of codification. Forvideo applications, this aids in providing a real time adjustment forcontainer and camera motions. Multiple codifications may also aid indeveloping a three-dimensional construct of the collection container,which may be used for flexible or shape changing collection containers,such as breast milk collection bags.

After the milk is collected in the codified container 100, a user thenscans or takes a picture or video of the container 100 with a computingdevice 200 having a camera 201. The computing device 200 may comprise asmart phone, tablet, digital camera, or any other type of computingdevice with the ability to receive an image or video. The computingdevice 200 is described in detail below with respect to FIG. 5.

In one embodiment, advanced image processing can determine milk volumesregardless of container orientation. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of anexample of a codified container for use with the system shown in FIG. 1.In the example shown in FIG. 2, a container lies on its side and can beprocessed by the application through an advanced algorithm enabled bythe codification and milk level. This can be useful to obtain data forsituations where volumes may not line up with container markings, suchas when containers are frozen where milk was not oriented with thegraduated markings when placed in the freezer. Additionally, thealgorithm may automatically correct for volumetric expansion that occurswhen milk is frozen. In another example embodiment, the codifiedcontainer may lie upside down. Furthermore, in other embodiments, thecomputing device may employ its own orientation sensors (such asaccelerometers) which can be used for enhancing orientation accuracy anderror checking when processing image data.

Further application of the image processing may also yield informationregarding features of the milk such as the quality of the milk. Forexample, the color of the milk can relate to fat content or theinclusion of blood. A history of images of the container 100 could bemonitored for any changes to quality of the milk. Additionally, milkthat is allowed to sit for a sufficient duration or spun centrifugallywill separate into skim and cream. These layers can be detected in theimage and volumetrically established to provide nutritional and breastexpression information, such as caloric content and degree of breastemptying.

Once the image or video is processed and analyzed by the softwareapplication, feedback 108 is given to the user or other interested partyin the form of a pumping log, performance charts, reminders, etc. In oneexample, the feedback is displayed to the user on the computing device200. In another embodiment, the feedback may be communicated to ahealthcare provider at an office or hospital. Other possibilities existas well.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a collection container 300 for the milk isusually part of a larger assembly of components that comprise abreastpump kit. The kit typically includes a breastshield (funnel) 302,a valve 304, a connector piece 305, and the container 300. The container300 may include one or more codification elements 306. The codificationelement 306 may be the same or similar to the codification element 106described above. Data regarding the pumping session and milk can becollected and analyzed as described above. The image analysis could befurther extended to evaluate other aspects of the breastpump kit and themother. For example, the application may determine if the breastpump kitis configured and attached correctly and provide feedback to the mother.The application may also identify other components employed in the kitand their performance. For example, the breastshield 302 may be providedin different sizes. These sizes could be detected by the application andevaluated in relation to the position of the mother's nipple within thefunnel to determine optimal fit and provide recommendations for adifferent size to the mother. Nipple position may also be monitored toensure that the mother has fully and correctly engaged the breastshieldduring her pumping session. Feedback of this information to the breastpump could enable optimal application of vacuum to enhance comfortand/or milk output. In another example, the condition of each of the kitcomponents could be analyzed to determine if they need to be repaired orreplaced. Other possibilities exist as well. Image or video monitoringof the collection may yield information such as milk ejections; pumpduration; flow rate; detection of vacuum settings or changes through thebehavior of the nipple, breast or kit; nipple positioning, nippleextension, etc. by application of codification elements and datainterpretation in various portions of the breastpump kit (collectionsystem).

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an example method of managing a supply ofbreast milk according to an embodiment. At step 400, milk is expressedinto a codified container. At step 410, an image or video is scanned orcaptured of the expressed milk in the codified container with acomputing device having a camera or other means of capturing an image orvideo. At step 420, software, such as an app, recognizes the containerbased on the codification. Based on the recognition, information orfeedback regarding the milk, milk supply, performance, etc. is processedand analyzed by the computing device, at step 430. The information maythen be displayed or otherwise communicated to the user or otherinterested party in any suitable manner, at step 440.

FIG. 5 is a simplified block diagram of an example computing device 200in which an embodiment may be implemented. The example computing device200 illustrates the various components such a device may include. Thecomputing device may take any of a variety of forms, examples of whichinclude without limitation a cell phone, a tablet computer, a notebookcomputer, a desktop computer, a personal digital assistant, a gamingdevice, or any other type of device now known or later developed. Asshown, the representative device 200 includes a network interface 202, auser interface 204, a processing unit 206, and data storage 208, all ofwhich may be communicatively linked together by a system bus, network orother connection mechanism 210.

Network interface 202 may comprise a wired or wireless interfacearranged to allow device 200 to communicate on a network (not shown) andwith entities via that network, such as with a centralized database (notshown) or a web server (not shown) for instance, and particularly tocommunicate data to and from the computing device 200. For example, thenetwork interface 202 may comprise a wired or wireless Ethernetinterface for communication on a local area network and in turn via arouter and/or one or more other network elements with entities on theInternet. As another example, the network interface 202 may comprise acellular wireless interface, arranged to engage in air interfacecommunication with a radio access network according to a protocol suchas LTE, WiMAX, CDMA, GSM, or the like, and via the radio access networkwith entities on the Internet. Other examples are possible as well.

User interface 204 may enable the device 200 to interact with a user ofthe device and may thus comprise output components such as a displayscreen, an audio speaker, and the like, and input components such as akeyboard, camera, touch-pad or touch-screen, and the like. In practice,the user interface may facilitate presentation to the user of thevarious views discussed above, and may function to receive from a userinput of the type discussed above. The software may use the userinterface to provide a real time augmented reality view of the imagebeing processed to aid the user in accurate measurement capture.

Processing unit 206 may comprise one or more general purpose processors(e.g., microprocessors) and/or one or more special purpose processors(e.g., application specific integrated circuits, digital signalprocessors, etc.) If processing unit 206 includes multiple processors,the processors may be arranged to work in combination (e.g., inparallel) or separately. Further, processing unit 206 may be integratedin whole or in part with network interface 202 or with one or more othercomponents of the device.

Data storage 208 may then comprise one or more volatile and/ornon-volatile storage components (non-transitory), such as magnetic,optical, flash, or other types of storage now known or later developed,and may be integrated in whole or in part with processing unit 206and/or may be removable from the device 200 or externally connected(through wired or wireless means) with the device 200. As shown, datastorage 208 contains operating system logic 212 and application logic214 executable by the processing unit 206 to carry out various functionsdescribed herein.

Operating system logic 212 may manage hardware resources of the device200 and provide common services, such as an application programminginterface (API), for applications. Examples of such operating systemsinclude, without limitation, ANDROID, iOS, LINUX, MAC OS X, WINDOWS, andWINDOWS PHONE.

Application logic 214, in turn, may include one or more applications,such as the milk supply management application described above, whichmay be arranged to run on the operating system 212 and thus interactwith hardware of the device through operating system 212. Theseapplications may be written in any of a variety of programming languagesand compiled into instructions executable by processing unit 206. Forinstance, the applications may be Java or Objective-C applications, orfor that matter other types of applications that, when compiled, willinterwork with the API of the operating system 212. Alternatively oradditionally, the applications may be defined by one or more markupdocuments, which can essentially be executed by being interpreted,rendered, or otherwise processed by processing unit 206, possiblythrough execution of one or more interpreters, such as browserapplications.

The advantage of the system described above is evident through the easeand speed with which a mother can collect, track, and ascertain her milksupply and expression performance by merely capturing an image or videoof her output. As an example, an application for a computing device,such as a smart phone, can pull all relevant data from the image and hermilk pumping session including a date and time stamp, geographiclocation, container used, milk amount, milk supply and breast expressedto develop her pumping log, performance charts, reminders, etc.

In another embodiment, the imaging and software capabilities containedwithin the computing device could reside within a breastpump, such asthe programmable breastpump described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,756, whichis hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Thus, while the invention has been described herein with relation tocertain embodiments and applications, those with skill in this art willrecognize changes, modifications, alterations and the like which stillcome within the spirit of the inventive concept, and such are intendedto be included within the scope of the application.

1. A method for managing a supply of breast milk of a mother, the methodcomprising: receiving, via a computing device, at least one image of acontainer for receiving expressed breast milk, the container including acodification element associated therewith; recognizing the codificationelement using the computing device; analyzing the codification elementusing the computing device; and producing feedback regarding the supplyof expressed breast milk based on the analysis.
 2. The method of claim 1wherein the at least one image comprises a series of images.
 3. Themethod of claim 1 wherein analyzing the codification element comprisesscaling and orienting the container to calculate an accurate volume. 4.The method of claim 1 wherein the feedback includes at least one of:information regarding the volume of the breast milk within thecontainer, information regarding quality of the breast milk, a pumpinglog, performance charts, or a reminder.
 5. The method of claim 1 whereinthe codification element comprises a computer-readable image located onthe container.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the codification elementcomprises a feature of the container.
 7. The method of claim 1 whereinthe feedback is provided in real-time.
 8. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising providing the feedback to a user of the computing device. 9.The method of claim 1 further comprising providing the feedback to ahealthcare professional.
 10. The method of claim 1 further comprisingproviding the feedback to a breastpump.
 11. The method of claim 1wherein the computing device is in communication with a breastpump. 12.A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereoninstructions executable by a computing device to cause the computingdevice to perform functions comprising: recognizing a codificationelement associated with a container of expressed breast milk; obtaininginformation regarding the codification element; analyzing thecodification element; and providing information regarding the supply ofexpressed breast milk based on the analysis.
 13. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium of claim 12 wherein analyzing the codificationelement comprises scaling and orienting the container to calculate anaccurate volume.
 14. The non-transitory computer readable medium ofclaim 12 wherein the functions further include automatically correctingfor volumetric expansion of frozen breast milk.
 15. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium of claim 12 wherein the codification elementcomprises a computer readable image located on the container.
 16. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein thecodification element comprises a feature of the container.
 17. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein thecodification element is located within an image of the expressed breastmilk, but not on the container.
 18. The non-transitory computer readablemedium of claim 12 wherein the information includes at least one of:volume of the breast milk within the container, information regardingquality of the breast milk, a pumping log, performance charts, or areminder.
 19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12wherein the information is provided in real-time.
 20. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium of claim 12 wherein the information iscommunicated to a breastpump.